Raquel Leviss Admits ‘Love’ Affair With Tom Sandoval on ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Wasn’t Love at All

Scandoval had Vanderpump Rules fans reeling, and they hoped to get answers at the season 10 reunion. Ariana Madix found out her boyfriend of nine years, Tom Sandoval, was having an affair with her close friend, Raquel Leviss. The Bravo reality TV show started by following the servers and bartenders working in Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurant, Sur. It’s also available to stream on Peacock. This isn’t the first time cheating came to light on the show, but Scandoval stood out because Ariana and Sandoval (he goes by his last name to differentiate himself from cast member, Tom Schwartz) became the longest-lasting couple in the cast. The affair continued while Ariana experienced the loss of her dog and grandmother.

Sandoval and Raquel answered some challenging questions at the reunion. They revealed they continued hanging out after the affair was revealed. Host Andy Cohen asked them why they had an affair. “I did it because Tom and I had this connection,” Raquel said. “I felt seen and heard by him.” Ariana mentioned she listened to Raquel when she complained about her ex-boyfriend, James Kennedy, being “mean” to her. Raquel agreed and then explained she had confided in Sandoval about other personal things.

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Andy asked Raquel if she was in love with Sandoval. “Yeah,” she said after a pause and a deep sigh. This answer infuriated Ariana. Andy asked Sandoval the same question. He rolled his eyes and waited to answer. “I’m sorry,” Sandoval said. “Y-yes.” Ariana called this pathetic.

The reunion ended with a private Raquel interview that was filmed six days after filming the reunion. She admitted to previously lying about the timeline of the affair with Sandoval. “He feels like it would be less hurtful to say that this wasn’t going on for so long,” she explained. Raquel admitted to hooking up with him during the cast trip to Mexico. She revealed that she met Sandoval’s mom who knew about the affair.

Raquel said she asked Sandoval if Ariana would want to become a “throuple.” He said she wouldn’t be interested. “Because like I love Ariana as a person,” Raquel explained. “And then also I’m in love with Tom Sandoval. So yeah that didn’t seem like that far-fetched an idea.”

Raquel Leviss Says She Wasn’t in Love With Tom Sandoval

Raquel is back to talk about the affair with Bethenny Frankel on the podcast, ReWives. “I just heard what you were saying on TikTok,” she told the podcast host, who said Raquel was being exploited. “The network is running to the bank,” she later said. “Like laughing running to the bank with this scandal and I haven’t seen a single penny.”

Raquel claimed Ariana wasn’t her “best friend” like she was portrayed on the show. She said they were “acquaintances” but is still remorseful for deceiving her. “I was hanging out with Tom more than I was hanging out with her,” she said. Raquel claimed Sandoval said his relationship with Ariana was more like a “business partner” and they had a brand.

The podcast host asked if she was in love with Sandoval. “I believed I was in love with Tom at the time,” Raquel answered. “I now look back on it and see that I was not in love with him. I also don’t believe he truly was in love with me either.” She maintains that she felt seen and heard by him. Raquel has returned to using her given name “Rachel.” Bethenny’s podcast will release part two of this interview at a later date.